Welcome to the third day of Justice Society of America Week here at the Fortress of Baileytude. So far I have been getting some good feedback on these posts and that makes me feel good because not only does it feed into my massively out of control ego but it also proves that there are other fans out there that like and respect the Justice Society as much as I do.
Today I have a list of books that I would call “required” reading. “Required” with quotes because while I think these are books and comics you should read and own opinions may vary. I think they’re pretty cool though and believe that you would benefit from checking them out.
I cannot tell you how much I was looking forward to this book coming out in 2000. At the time I was kind of a sponge for any and all comic book reference material1 and not only was this reference material it was also edited and mostly written by Roy Thomas. I have a lot of respect and admiration for Roy Thomas. His runs on All-Star Squadron, Infinity, Inc., and Young All-Stars are filed under the heading, “Do not sell unless someone is about to die.” The man knows the Justice Society inside and out, so I just had to get this book when it was solicited.
The cover to the book is an homage to the cover of All-Star Comics #3 with later members of the Justice Society. The art, as the signature box reveals, was Murphy Anderson. Batman’s ears are a little funky but other than that it is just a sweet piece of art. Murphy Anderson re-created that All-Star Comics cover for the back cover.
All-Star Companion is an exhaustive look at the history of the Justice Society in the pages of All-Star Comics. Not only does it feature a complete index of All-Star Comics #1-57 but also features a look at the JLA/JSA team-ups, a quick examination of the All-Star Comics series from the seventies plus a lot of behind the scenes material. Contributors included the late Jerry Bails, Mike W. Barr, Donald Glut, Bob Ingersoll, Craig Delich, Brian Boerner, Amy Kiste Nyberg, Robert Kanigher and a foreword by the late Julius Schwartz. If you can find a copy get it, read it, love it and call it George.
When the All-Star Companion came out I was under the impression that this was it. Outside of some articles in Alter Ego and Back Issue magazine about the Justice Society and the All-Star Squadron there wasn’t going to be another big time companion type book to buy.
Until 2007.
As much as I loved the first book this volume was a bit more in my wheelhouse. All-Star Companion Volume 2 gave us more info on the Golden-Age adventures of the Justice Society before moving into a complete run down of Roy Thomas’ All-Star Squadron, which ran from 1981 to 1986. All-Star Squadron was my introduction to the Justice Society, so the two teams are intertwined in my head.
Contributors to this volume included Roy Thomas2, Frank Brunner, Creig Flessel, Dennis Mallonee, the late Jerry Bails, Craig Delich, Mike W. Barr, David Studham, Pedro Angosto and Kurt Mitchell. The cover was done Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Merino. Like the first volume it has all kinds of rare artwork and behind the scenes material. There is a third and fourth volume to this series that I have yet to get though I do want them.
A lot.
I mean really a lot.
Moving outside of books that need to be filed under reference I have five trade paperbacks that should be on the “required” reading list of any Justice Society fan.
This is, as the cover states, the first volume of the Crisis on Multiple Earths series, which reprints the JLA/JSA crossovers that went down from the sixties to the eighties. Four of these volumes have come out so far and the stories are varied in terms of characters and enjoyment. They’re not all winners. This is not an insult to the creative forces involved, it just has to do with my perceptions of Silver and Bronze Age stories. I like some. I have trouble getting through others. The first volume reprints the first four crossovers that took place in Justice League of America Vol 1 numbers 21, 22, 29, 30, 37, 38, 46 and 47. The cover to this one is by Alex Ross and is, to my mind, a great piece of art. All of this and an intro written by Mark Waid too.
Under this Jerry Ordway cover is the second volume in the series. This book was more enjoyable to me than the first one mainly because it featured the first appearance of the Earth-2 Robin3 and the first appearance of the Earth-2 Superman4. It also had a very visible break in terms of characterization and atmosphere from the Gardner Fox written Justice League of America and the more relevant Denny O’Neil version of the team. The issues of Justice League reprinted in this series were 55, 56, 64, 65, 73, 74, 82 and 83 and had an introduction written by Martin Pasko.
Volume three has another sweet Alex Ross cover showcasing the fact that the issues reprinted here have the return of the Quality Comics characters5 and the Seven Soldiers of Victory6. With the Quality characters the alternate reality of Earth X was introduced. Originally Len Wein wanted to call it Earth Swastika but editor Julius Schwartz put the kibosh on that in short order. The first two parter in this volume had the first meeting between the Earth-1 and Earth-2 Robins and there was a lot of neat character work in that story. The issues of Justice League of America reprinted here are 91, 92, 100-102, 107, 108 and 113. This one has an intro by Len Wein.
The final volume7 of the Crisis on Multiple Earths had yet another Alex Ross cover and this one was right up his alley. Not only does it feature Legion characters but also Superman and Captain Marvel flying at one another and ready to throw down. I’d love to say that this was my favorite volume but in all honesty the JLA/JSA/Legion crossover dragged on for what seemed like forever. It was kind of neat to see the meeting of Superman and Captain Marvel though and where else are you going to see a real life comic book writer become a super-villain? I still suggest getting the book, however, because it is a fairly good read overall. Volume four reprints Justice League of America 123, 124, 135-137, 147 and 148. The intro to this volume is by Carl Gafford.
Finally we have the first volume of the Crisis on Multiple Earths: The Team-Ups series. This one is really cool and not just because of the Jerry Ordway cover, which to me is almost worth the price of admission. This book begins reprinting the very first team-up between the Golden and Silver Age heroes starting with Flash (Vol. 1) #1238 and continues with the next few Earth-1 and Earth-2 Flash crossovers in Flash numbers 129, 137 and 151. It also has the Dr. Fate and Hourman team-ups from Showcase Comics numbers 55 and 56, the meeting between Alan Scott and Hal Jordan in Green Lantern #40, the Black Canary and Starman team-up from Brave and the Bold #61, and the Spectre #7. Flash #137 has the first Silver Age appearance of the Justice Society, which I used to own until the day came, a day unlike any other when the choice was presented to me to either eat or keep the book. Very sad. There is a second volume to this series but I haven’t picked it up yet.
And that is it for today. Since they are my sponsor I would like to mention that all of the Crisis on Multiple Earths volumes are in stock at In Stock Trades for 37% off cover price. Just click on the banner at the top of the page and find the DC Comics section. The two All-Star Companions are the domain of other online sources but they should be fairly easy to track down.
Tomorrow Justice Society of America Week; my favorite JSA artist. Ever.
More to follow…
Fortress Footnotes
- Sadly this is not the case these days. I can never seem to find the time to track down and read books like this anymore. There’s just not enough time in the day and for years I was able to do a lot of reading at the various jobs I have held, which isn’t how my current job works. ↩
- Editing and partly writing again. ↩
- In a God awful costume that was a mix of the Batman costume and the Robin costume. It just looked goofy. ↩
- Some fans conisder the first appearances of the Earth-2 versions of certain characters like Robin and Superman to be their actual first appearances because those were published during the Golden Age. I am of the opinion that the actual Golden Age versions and the Earth-2 versions are two separate characters. It is splitting hairs but that’s the side of the fence I fall on. ↩
- Uncle Sam, the Human Bomb, Phantom Lady, Black Condor, the Ray and Dollman. ↩
- Green Arrow, Speedy, Star Spangled Kid, Shining Knight, Vigilante and Stripesy. ↩
- So far, at any rate. ↩
- The classic Flash of Two Worlds story. ↩
October 21st, 2009 on 3:01 pm
The first JLA/JSA crossover I recall owning/buying was JLA #147-148, largely because it also starred the Legion of Super-Heroes and their long-time nemesis Mordru. (In hindsight, it’s also worth noting that those issues featured the work of legendary Legion writer Paul Levitz only a few months after his first Legion story appeared in Superboy #225.) TwoMorrows’ various companion books are well worth the expense, and the JSA volumes, in particular, are a must for anyone with an interest in DC’s Golden Age and/or Earth-2/X/etc. characters. Excellent stuff.